


Evigheden

by sarahviehmann



Category: Frozen (2013), Once Upon a Time (TV), Sneedronningen | The Snow Queen - Hans Christian Andersen
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-11
Updated: 2014-12-31
Packaged: 2018-03-01 00:06:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2752211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarahviehmann/pseuds/sarahviehmann
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two children, Gerda and Kai, unlock the mysterious power of Evigheden to escape the Snow Queen and pass through a portal to bring them home to Copenhagen, but they find that it is not how they remembered. Unable to make a fresh start, they make a wish in the name of Evigheden and cross world once more. They immediately attract the attention of a certain Rumplestiltskin, who is unable to cast Evigheden but is determined to learn how.</p><p>Meanwhile in Storybrooke, Emma and Elsa are trying to learn why the Snow Queen is so interested in Emma and Elsa. Elsa is determined to find Anna, but her missing memories are interfering. Could Evigheden have anything to do with Anna's disappearance? Is the Snow Queen linked to the powerful spell? And why is Rumplestiltskin so interested in the Snow Queen?</p><p>This is a rewrite of Season 4 of OUAT beginning with the last few minutes of Episode 6 -- all events previous to Episode 6 are maintained. What has changed is the Snow Queen, her background, and her connection to Elsa and her parents.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Warm, Pleasant Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Settings: Arendelle, 1845. Denmark, 1955.  
> Characters: Kai and Gerda  
> Summary: Kai and Gerda escape the Snow Queen and find that home is not how they remember it.

_Arendelle, 1845._

The two children stood before a great wall of light. It sparked purple and white, blinding them with its intensity.

“What is that, Gerda?” Kai asked. He gripped her warm hand, allowing the heat to move through him in ways that it hadn’t in a long while. Since the Snow Queen had frozen him with her kiss, he had not felt warmth like this. He never wanted to lose it again, but this wall of light frightened him. What if it was the wrath of the Snow Queen, seeking to keep him in her ice palace forever?

“It is a portal, Kai,” Gerda said, holding his hand as tightly as he was grasping hers. “The Snow Queen has brought you outside of the world we know—there is magic here. I had to cross through one to find you . . . this word is the key.” She pointed to the blocks of ice that had fallen on the ground before them. It spelled _Evigheden_ , the one word that Kai had been failing to form with the ice until Gerda had come. Until she had reminded him what evigheden—eternity—looked like. He stared into her blue eyes, observed her face. She was older than he remembered—how long had he been here?

“The Saami woman spelled it for me and let me cross over . . . she said I have magic in my heart,” Gerda said, her voice trembling. Beneath them, the icy ground shook with the force of the portal.

“The Snow Queen told me that I would be set free if I could make this word,” Kai said. “Do you think she is allowing me to go?”

“I do not care if she is allowing you, Kai!” Gerda cried. “We are going!” She glanced at him, bravery painted across her features. “Trust me.”

Kai embraced her. “I will trust you for eternity.” Then, still locked in each other’s arms, they leapt through the portal and left the Snow Queen’s palace behind them.

 

* * *

_Denmark, 1955_.

Gerda had her eyes squeezed shut as she passed through the portal with Kai, and as the light faded she took a moment to rest in the darkness of his coat. She took a deep breath; he still smelled the same. Somehow it felt like she was stretching to wrap her arms around his shoulders. Perhaps the ground was uneven.

“Gerda, are you all right?” Kai asked her. His voice sounded deeper. It struck Gerda in the heart the way it hadn’t before.

“I am all right,” Gerda sighed. She relaxed her arms and drew them away, taking a step back from Kai. When she looked at his face, she gasped and clapped a gloved hand over her mouth.

“What is the matter? Gerda!” Kai’s green eyes widened when he saw her face, but Gerda could only think of the shock before her eyes. No longer was Kai a young boy of twelve; he was a grown man with thick blonde hair and even a little bit of facial hair along his jaw. “Gerda . . . you are not you!” he exclaimed.

Gerda took a hasty step back and ripped open her thick coat. _Oh no_ , she thought as she felt her torso. Those hadn’t been there before. “We are . . . grown!” she marveled. It was only then that she thought to look at their surroundings; they were in a little forest glen, though she could hear a town nearby. A small river flowed through the trees. It was summer, and it was warm. Gerda and Kai both quickly began to shed their winter coats and boots. Gerda ran to the river to look at her reflection. The image was not a good one, but it gave her a sense of the changes in her face and figure. Her chin was now distinctly pointed, free of the remaining baby fat that had lingered only moments before. Her hair was longer and smoother, as though age had tamed the frizz. Her hands were long and slender; callouses that she had developed on her journey had completely disappeared.

She and Kai sat side by side in the grass, wondering at their transformations. “You have hair on your face,” she teased, brushing the tip of her finger along Kai’s jawline.

“Finally I am a man!” Kai trumpeted, and Gerda giggled. He looked sideways at her. “You . . .”

“I am different,” Gerda said, tucking her hands in her skirts.

“You are beautiful,” Kai corrected, and Gerda blushed.

“How is this possible?” she asked out loud. “It felt like we were only in the portal for a few moments, but we are at least ten years older!”

“I don’t know,” Kai said. “Perhaps crossing through took more time than we thought.”

“But I have already crossed through once!” Gerda protested. “Shouldn’t I be even older, then?”

“Maybe it only happens on the way back?” Kai suggested.

“I know someone who might know!” Gerda suddenly exclaimed, jumping to her feet. “Your grandmother!”

“But if it really has been ten years—”

“Fourteen,” Gerda corrected.

“What?”

“It took me four years to get to you. So at least fourteen years.”

“If it really has been fourteen years, do you think she is still there?”

“There is only one way to find out,” Gerda said. “We are near home, can’t you see? Don’t you recognize this brook? I thought you had drowned in it when you first disappeared.”

Kai looked around. “Everything seems so hazy. But yes, I think I remember.”

“Then follow me!” Gerda seized Kai’s wrist and tried to drag him to his feet. Unfortunately, he was much heavier than before, and her attempt resulted in her falling backward onto her bottom in peals of laughter. Kai laughed with her, but he helped her stand to his feet and they wandered down the hillside hand in hand to find his grandmother.

* * *

 

“This is Copenhagen?” Kai asked in wonder. “Gerda, are you sure we are not in another magical realm?”

Gerda cringed as the loud noises of the city assaulted her ears. “I do not know,” she said.

“Look, that carriage is drawing itself!” Kai said, pointing to the automobile.

“The clothing . . . look at the clothing!”

“The buildings are so tall and strange!”

“No, see, the signs say Copenhagen,” Gerda said. “We are home . . . but, it has changed so much! It cannot have changed this much in fourteen years!”

“I think I can still find my grandmother’s house,” Kai said. “Follow me.”

He held Gerda’s hand and led her through the winding streets. Some still had cobblestone, but others were covered in a strange black stone with yellow markings. The horseless carriages sped by them, and the eyes of passersby eyed their winter clothing.

Finally, they came to a stop. “I do not understand. This should be it!” Kai cried in dismay, looking up at a large storefront. It had clear glass windows and unusual clothing on display, but the house that Kai and Gerda knew so well was no longer there.

“This cannot be right. Excuse me, sir,” Gerda said, tapping a passing man on the shoulder. “Do you know what has happened here?”

“No . . . has something happened?” the man asked. He looked them up and down. “Are you trying to find the museum?”

“Museum? No,” Kai said.

“Forgive me for being strange, sir, but, who is the king?”

“Frederick IX, of course!” the man said. Gerda felt her heart stop and looked at Kai in alarm. “Thank you,” she murmured to the man, who quickly went on his way.

“Frederick IX, not _Christian_ IX,” Kai said.

“The last King Frederick we had was King Frederick VII,” Gerda said. “Where are we? When are we?”

“Here, Gerda,” Kai said. He had spotted a newspaper stand near the storefront. He pointed to the front page. _14 June 1955_.

“1955!” Gerda cried. She threw her arms around Kai. “It has been ninety years since we left! How is that possible?”

“It has to do with the magic in the portals,” Kai said. He stroked the back of Gerda’s head, feeling a tenderness that was different than the one he had always felt for her.

Tears streamed down Gerda’s face. “What are we going to do?” she sniffled.

“We shall live, of course,” said Kai, sounding braver than he felt. “If you can travel across the tundra and across realms to find me, we can survive in this new world.”

Gerda nodded. “I know,” she whispered.

“We’ll do it together,” Kai said, taking her hands in his.

Gerda blinked away her tears and squeezed his hand. “Yes. Together.”


	2. Family Works

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Setting: Storybrooke, 2014.  
> Characters: Emma, Elsa, Belle, Mary Margaret, Regina, Killian, the Snow Queen  
> Summary: The Snow Queen's plan is still unclear

_Storybrooke, 2014_.

 

Emma stood in the sheriff’s office, flipping through the file that they had uncovered in the Snow Queen’s ice cream truck. “I can’t believe she kept all of this,” Emma said, looking at a very bad drawing of a dog dated sixteen years earlier.

“I would have,” Mary Margaret said, looking over Emma’s shoulder. “They’re so cute.” She had that wistful tone in her voice that she got whenever she began thinking of what could have been, had she not had to send Emma through the wardrobe. Emma cleared her throat and was happy to be distracted by Killian as he took the drawing out of her hand.

“Have your skills in artistry improved any since then?” he teased.

“Not a bit,” Emma said, snatching the drawing back.

“If she kept all this she must have really cared about you,” Belle suggested. She was there alone; her husband had claimed to have business at the shop.

“Yeah, or she was just a creepy stalker,” Emma said wryly. She set the pile of childhood things aside and looked up at everyone. “Look, I’m not really interested in why she kept these things. I’m interested in what she’s doing _now_.”

Elsa, sensing Emma’s tension, turned to Belle. “What was that you said about the Spell of Shattered Sight?”

“Oh, it’s horrible,” Belle said with a shudder. “It makes everyone see the worst in everything around them. Whatever was once beautiful or good becomes ugly and awful. I am almost certain the Snow Queen is going to cast it.”

“But why?” Mary Margaret asked. “How could she benefit from something like that?”

“I don’t know,” Belle said.

“She keeps saying that she wants a family,” Elsa said, “but I don’t think she understands anything about how families actually work.”

“Well, families work in a lot of different ways, and not always in good ones,” Emma pointed out, sticking her thumbs in her pockets.

“I know how _my_ family works,” Elsa protested, “and it doesn’t involve dark magic.”

“You don’t think she’s really your aunt?” Belle asked.

Elsa shook her head. “No. She can’t be. I can see a resemblance, but my mother never mentioned having a sister. Despite my parents’ flaws, I don’t think they would keep a secret like that from me.”

“You do share her magic, though,” Belle said.

“Magic isn’t always inherited,” Mary Margaret said. “Neither David nor I have magic, but Emma does.”

“That’s because she’s the product of true love,” Regina said, entering the office. “Forgive me for intruding, but I heard that Miss Swan and the Snow Queen have a past together. I came to find out what that’s all about.” Regina’s dark eyebrows were raised and her lips pursed, her arms crossed in front of her chest—she was in full mayor mode.

“She was one of my foster moms,” Emma recapped tersely. “And Elsa doesn’t think the Snow Queen is telling the truth about being her aunt.”

“So that’s where the magic question comes up,” Regina filled in, and everyone nodded. “You all know that there are only two ways for a person to have magic; either they are born with it or they learn it. I learned, Emma was born. Simple as that.”

“But not that simple,” Emma protested. “Just because I was born with it doesn’t mean I inherited it from somebody.”

“Correct. A child can be born with magic if they are the product of true love or if there is some latent magic in one of their parents. The parent doesn’t necessarily have to use magic or even know that they possessed a drop of it—even if they were cursed once, a bit of magic might remain to be passed on to a child.”

“That could be it, then!” Elsa exclaimed, suddenly animated. “What if one of my parents was cursed by the Snow Queen? That could explain why I have magic like hers, even if my parents didn’t have magic.” She and the others looked at Regina for confirmation.

“That’s the general principle,” Regina said with a shrug.

“But my parents never spoke of a curse,” Elsa said, deflating a little.

“Well, to be fair, curses aren’t a lot of fun to talk about,” Mary Margaret said. “I don’t really like to talk about being put into a cursed sleep. It was not exactly a pleasant experience.” She looked sideways at Regina. “Sorry,” she muttered. Regina just rolled her eyes and waved it off.

“Maybe . . . maybe Anna would know,” Elsa murmured.

“Well, she’s not here, is she?” Regina snapped.

Everyone glared at her as Elsa withered. “No need to state the obvious, Your Majesty,” Killian said quietly.

Regina raised her hands in halfhearted apology. “Until we find this sister of yours we will have to find something else to go on. I will look in my vault to see if I can find anything on the sort of magic you and this Snow Queen possess.” She turned to walk out.

“Wait,” Emma said. “Before you go, do you have any idea what might have happened to Arendelle when you cast your curse? No one from Elsa’s kingdom is here—does that mean Arendelle was destroyed?”

“I was more concerned with my own borders. Anything outside the Enchanted Forest did not interest me,” Regina said snidely. Seeing Elsa’s worried face, she softened. “But I will try and find answers to that, too.”

“I can ask Aurora if she heard anything about it when I see her next at Mother’s Group,” Mary Margaret offered. “She was back home even after the curse hit.”

“Thank you, both of you,” Elsa said. “If I can find out what happened to Arendelle, that might tell me where to start looking for Anna.”

“We’ll find her, and we’ll figure out why the Snow Queen wants to cast this curse,” Emma said, placing a hand on Elsa’s shoulder. She met Elsa’a eyes and the foreign princess cast her eyes away with a sad smile. Emma grimaced and followed everyone out of the office.

 

* * *

 

_Meanwhile . . ._

The Snow Queen smirked as the Dark One departed her cavern with the Sorcerer's Hat in hand. He thought she was afraid of the hat! How silly. 

It was troublesome of course that he possessed it and not her. It _was_ a crucial part of her plans, after all. 

It was just like him to get in her way. But she wouldn't let him stop her this time. Her warning had been real--if he dared interfere with her plans for a second time, she would destroy him and all those he cared about. Such little people did not matter to her.  _Children_ , however . . . children she could use, and the Dark One's grandson played a key part in her plans. Even Henry, however, was not as important as his mother.

She knew what he wanted from her. He wanted  _Evigheden_. He thought that the spell could get him what he wanted. But he couldn't have it both ways. He would have to sacrifice something, the very thing he wanted to keep. She was the only one who could use the power of  _Evigheden_ to its full potential, because she was the only one willing to make the sacrifice. But it would get her what she wanted. And that was all that mattered.


	3. A New Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Setting: Copenhagen, 1956. Misthaven, 1956.  
> Characters: Kai, Gerda, Rumplestiltskin  
> Summary: Kai and Gerda make a wish; Rumplestiltskin notices something in Arendelle

_Arendelle, 1956_

Kai stomped into the cramped apartment that he shared with Gerda over the appliance storefront, exhausted from working in the automobile factory all day. He was covered in grease and sweat, and his eyes were weary. He could barely lift them to see Gerda, his discouraged wife, standing over the stove.

“I can never get it right!” she groaned as the pot boiled over again. “I do not understand how these foolish appliances work!” The storeowner from downstairs had visited several times to try to explain the modern device to Gerda, but she still claimed to prefer the older—much older—models from her childhood.

“It is all right,” Kai assured her, though his voice was too tired to be encouraging. “I am not that hungry.”

“But _I_ am,” Gerda pouted, glaring at him. “Kai, I can’t do this anymore! Between the awful odors everywhere and these godforsaken appliances . . . it makes me miss the frozen tundra.” She sighed. “I swore I’d never say that.”

 Kai shifted nervously in his hard plastic dining seat. “I know. And I swore . . . I swore that I wouldn’t lose another job.”

 Gerda stared at him slackjawed. “You lost it? What happened?”

 “I couldn’t keep up with the machinery!” Kai growled, kicking the table leg. “It all goes too fast—there’s not craft in it, it’s all just assembly.”

 “But Kai . . . rent is due soon,” Gerda said quietly, terror giving her cheeks an awful pallor. Kai’s heart ached at the sight. After deciding to stay in this new and strange Copenhagen, Kai and Gerda had quickly felt the need to get married. They looked too different to claim to be siblings, though that was their first instinct. It raised too many questions from locals about the rest of their family, where they’d come from, and so on. It was odd, but people seemed to ask those questions less of a newlywed couple. Those questions they could answer honestly: how had they met? They were neighbors as children. What was their favorite memory together? Keeping a rose garden together. Their marriage was civil and small, nothing like Gerda had ever wanted, but it had given them security in an unfamiliar world.

But this first year of marriage had been difficult. Kai had been shunted from job to job, unable to keep up with the new way of life brought about by all these machines. He couldn’t be social with coworkers because he had no idea what they were talking about half the time. They talked about two years ago fondly, but Kai hadn’t had a 1954. He knew nothing about the past ninety years, and it was difficult not to give that away in everyday conversation.

Gerda had similar problems. Nowhere would take her to work because she was a woman, and there were only a few jobs for women. She was unsuited to secretarial work because her reading skills were only at a childhood level. Aging ten years without the education to match proved a unique obstacle. She made a little side money by cleaning the shop downstairs, but the shop owner was unusually kind. Still, his kindness could only take them so far. If they could not pay rent this time, he would have them leave, as he had every right to.

Gerda sank down into the other plastic chair, burying her face in her hands. “What are we going to do?” she moaned.

“If only we could go back,” Kai murmured. He took his wife’s hands in his, accidentally smudging black grease on the back of her hand.

“I wish we could go back,” Gerda sighed.

“I wish that, too.”

“Do you remember the word we spoke before?” Gerda asked. “The word that helped us escape? Maybe it can help us escape again.”

“ _Evigheden_ ,” Kai whispered.

 “ _Evigheden_ ,” Gerda repeated, squeezing Kai’s hands tightly.

 Then they both wished with the hearts of children, hearts that they still possessed despite their age and their trouble. And when a great flash appeared in the tiny apartment, they were hardly surprised. Together they looked up and saw the throbbing purple portal. Without releasing the hands they held, they both stood and walked toward the portal, each smiling widely as the light engulfed them.

The light faded, and so did the little dingy apartment. Instead, the smell of pine trees and crocuses wafted toward them on a crisp mountain breeze. Gerda took a deep breath in and sighed in relief.

She looked at Kai and they grinned at each other. In unison they said, “Arendelle.”

 

* * *

 

 _Misthaven, 1956_.

Rumplestiltskin turned quickly around as one of his many magical devices started sputtering. He looked over his great map of all the worlds and countries that he knew. Something big had just happened in Arendelle. That was strange. Nothing big had happened in Arendelle in nearly a century. Nothing big enough for him to notice, anyway.

A portal had just opened. This he noticed.

He pursed his lips and opened a magic window on the map with a wave of his fingers. He growled in frustration as he witnessed the portal close before his eyes. But there were people still in the picture. A young couple—a brunette woman and a blonde man, holding each other and laughing with the giddiness of children. They had opened the portal.

“But how?” Rumplestiltskin asked out loud. “There’s nothing special about them!”

But maybe there was. If this young couple had the ability to pass between worlds, they might be able to do it again. He might _make_ them do it again. He was still coming up short on ways to pass through worlds. He had multiple ideas already in play, but if this one could provide him a solution without all the messiness of a prophecy and an evil queen, then it might just be the best route to take.

“Hold on there, dearies,” Rumplestiltskin chuckled. “The Dark One is about to pay you a little visit.”

He turned away from the magic window and the image of Kai and Gerda dancing in the spring grasses, feeling more at home than they had in a long, long time.


	4. Betrayals and Burdens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Setting: Arendelle, 1983. Storybooke, 2014.  
> Characters: Elsa, the Snow Queen, Regina, Granny, Henry  
> Summary: Elsa suspects her aunt is lying; Henry makes a discovery

_Arendelle, 1983_.

Queen Elsa sat in the library, idly spinning snowflakes in the air as she waited for her aunt to return. She had said something about talking to Anna, and that puzzled Elsa. If they were supposed to be a family, why did they have to talk alone? Shouldn’t they share everything? Were they hiding something?

The swirl of snowflakes had intensified and Elsa evaporated them, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

“Well done.” Elsa looked up to see Aunt Ingrid walking in, looking every inch royalty. Elsa wished that she could have a bearing like that, but she was still working on overcoming her timidity. Whenever she needed strength, she looked at her father’s portrait, which hung in the library behind her. Ingrid, on the other hand, seemed to possess the royal countenance naturally. More than a princess, as she had claimed to be. “You control your magic very well.”

“Anna has helped me so much,” Elsa said, standing to meet her aunt. “I could never have done this without her.” Ingrid grimaced and looked away from Elsa. “What is it?” Elsa asked.

“I have upsetting news for you, Elsa,” Ingrid said, turning back to face her. “Your sister . . . she has betrayed your trust.”

“What? How?” Elsa asked, taking a step back.

“She was dishonest with you about her journey to Misthaven,” Ingrid said. “She discovered the truth, the one that I have been warning you about. Your parents traveled to Misthaven with the intent to rid you of your powers—the very thing that makes you special!”

Elsa felt the chill run through her fingertips but she managed to keep the snow from falling. With a deep breath and a sigh she said, “I knew it. I shouldn’t be surprised. They always tried so hard to hide it. But what does this have to do with Anna?”

“Your sister not only learned the truth about your parents, but she found the means that they intended to use to strip you of your powers.” Ingrid shifted her long white cloak back to reveal a small octagonal box with stars on the lid. Elsa gingerly took the box in her hands, inspecting it. “She planned to use it on you,” Ingrid said gravely, watching carefully for Elsa’s reaction.

“That’s ridiculous,” Elsa said, setting the box on the table beside her. “Anna would never do that.”

“But she would. Why not? Think of all that she has to be jealous of. She has no magic. She has no crown. If she can’t have at least one, then you shouldn’t have both. It is exactly as I warned you!” Ingrid lifted Elsa’s chin with her two cold fingers. “You and I are special. We are practically the same. We have no need of Anna . . . she will never understand you the way I do.”

“What have you done to her?” Elsa demanded, pushing Ingrid’s hand away from her chin.

“She is in the prison for now,” Ingrid said mildly. “I had no choice, really, after she attacked me.”

Elsa was about to argue, but she thought of something. It was obvious to her that Anna would never do such a thing, but Ingrid seemed determined to force her to think otherwise. She wasn’t sure why, but it seemed important to make Ingrid think that this trick was working. “You’re right,” she said, taking a careful step back. “If she did something so terrible, then prison is exactly where she belongs.”

“Good girl. I knew you’d see the truth,” Ingrid said. She smiled in her usual, unsettling way, with cold lips pressed together, lacking sincerity.

Still, Elsa felt the need to put on a better show. She made the snow begin to fall around her and paced back and forth as though this realization bothered her. She looked up at Ingrid after a moment of this. “I think I need to be alone.”

“I completely understand,” Ingrid said, and she let the young queen pass her by into the long corridor. Once far enough away, Elsa checked over her shoulder to be sure that her aunt wasn’t following her. She banished the snow and took a sharp left, straight to the attic where she had found her mother’s diaries. If she could find something from her mother’s childhood, maybe she could find out if Ingrid’s claim to be her aunt was true. After the awful things she had said about Anna, Elsa was no longer so sure. And if Ingrid was lying, then Elsa wanted that horrible woman out of her kingdom as soon as possible.

 

* * *

 

_Storybrooke, 2014_

Regina sat at the bar in Granny’s Diner and glared into her cup of coffee. She hadn’t felt so burdened in a long time, and it made her angry. All of her obligations loomed over her like a dark specter. She knew that everyone in the diner could tell she was in a mood, but she didn’t care. Their stares now were not nearly as bad as the ones that they had given her in her Evil Queen days.

“You know, I can warm up that coffee for you. You don’t have to do it yourself,” Granny said.

Regina raised her glare to Granny. “When I want your opinion, I’ll ask for it,” she snapped. Granny just rolled her eyes and turned to the next customer.

The bell rang behind her and Henry hopped onto the stool next to her. “Hey there, Mom,” he said, setting his bag on the counter and ignoring Granny’s disapproving look.

Regina smiled at her son. She felt some of the weight instantly lift from her shoulders. She wished she could tell Henry how much his presence saved her, but she didn’t have the words. Thankfully, she was pretty sure he knew anyway.

“You seem upset, Mom,” Henry said. “What’s wrong?”

 “Same things that are always wrong. Except _this_ time, I’m trying out the whole being Good angle. No one told me it was always so exhausting.” Henry laughed, and Regina’s mouth quirked up in a smile.

“Any luck with Marian?” Henry asked.

“Nothing. It’s not magic like I’ve ever seen before. It’s almost . . . not human,” Regina said with a shrug. “I can’t figure it out. So I can’t help this Elsa woman either because I can’t explain her magic. On top of that they want me to help figure out what happened to this Arendelle place when I laid my first curse.”

“So no one came here?”

“I didn’t curse Arendelle, so no,” Regina answered.

“Hmmph.” Henry dug around in his backpack and hauled out his fairy tale book.

“You think the answer is in there?” Regina asked skeptically.

“I don’t know, but it’s worth looking.” Henry started to carefully skim the well-worn pages. “Any luck with Operation Mongoose?” he asked as he read.

“I’ve been a bit preoccupied,” Regina said, “but no. You?”

“Grandpa still has me sweeping the floors. He doesn’t keep anything good where I can see it,” Henry answered, wrinkling his nose in annoyance.

“Well, that doesn’t surprise me.” She ran her hand through her son’s hair. “Thank you for trying, though.”

“I still think we’ll find him—the author,” Henry said, looking up at his mom with a smile. His eyes fell back to the page and he suddenly sat up straight as though a bolt of lightning had gone through him.

“Henry, what is it?”

“A new story!” Henry gasped, leaning in to the page again.

“About Arendelle?” Regina asked.

“I’m not sure . . . but the Snow Queen’s in it!” He and Regina shared a shocked look. “We’ve got to show this to Elsa and my mom,” Henry said, meaning Emma.

Regina, stunned by the arrival of the new tale, stared at her son as he hastily packed the book into his bag again. “I say we’d better,” she agreed. Henry dashed out of the diner and Regina dazedly rose to follow him, forgetting to pay for her now-cold coffee.


	5. Soraya

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Setting: Arendelle, 1845. Storybrooke, 2014.  
> Characters: Gerda, Soraya, Regina, Henry, Emma, Elsa, Belle, Killian  
> Summary: Gerda finds the Snow Queen's castle; familiar faces are found in Henry's book

_Arendelle, 1845_

Their long journey across Scandinavia and into another realm was over. They had come to the beautiful, idyllic land of Arendelle and, with the help of a wise princess and her commoner husband, they had been led here, to the Snow Queen’s domain.

The ice castle towered above the two girls, who clung on to the antlers of the reindeer. The castle towered so high that Gerda could barely see the tip of the tallest tower against the rising sun. The sight was possibly the most beautiful thing that Gerda had ever seen. It glistened and sparkled against the backdrop of the mountain. It spread across multiple peaks like a cat sprawled across the mantle, filling in caverns and topping off cliffs. She had finally made it. Kai was in there, somewhere.

“What a sight,” the robber girl beside her said, offering an impressed whistle to emphasize her point. “Sure am glad I came through that portal with you, now.”

Gerda cast the girl a sideways smile. “You do not have to come in, you know,” Gerda said. “You have done so much for me already.”

“And _to_ you,” the robber girl chuckled, her mischievous brown eyes lighting up, poking at Gerda’s neck near her collarbone. Gerda placed her hand there where a raised scar was still healing—her first encounter with the robber girl had not been pleasant, but over time they had reconciled their differenced. “I’ll go to the door with you,” the robber girl continued, “but you have to do it yourself from there. I think that as soon as you find him you should make that portal again and get out. Go home.”

“But what about you?” Gerda asked, stroking the side of her reindeer companion. The reindeer nuzzled her neck and Gerda ducked away from his antlers.

“I came through because I wanted an adventure,” the girl said. “This looks like an awful big world—plenty of adventures to be found here!” She grinned at Gerda’s skeptical look. “I’ll get back to that princess back there and see what I can get up to. The fjord down there was real pretty.”

“You shall be wonderful,” Gerda said, suddenly grasping the robber girl in a hug.

“Hey now!” The robber girl pushed Gerda out of the emotional embrace. “None of that sappy stuff! Come on. Let’s get you up there.”

After some time, their hike was over and the two girls stood at the threshold of the tremendous icy domain. “Good luck,” the robber girl said to Gerda, grabbing the reindeer’s reigns in her hands.

Gerda pushed open the heavy ice doors, and the two girls gasped when they saw what was inside. Endless statues of ice filled a gloriously decorated hall, but all the statues were small, smaller than the two twelve-year-old girls. After a moment, Gerda realized that they were all frozen children.

“Oh, no! Kai!” Gerda cried, pressing her gloves to her lips. “These must be all the children that the princess said went missing!” She looked at the robber girl, her blue eyes sparking with anger. “This Snow Queen is a monster.”

“What could anyone want with frozen children?” the robber girl asked. With a look of uncertainty, she reached into her fur-lined coat and pulled out her long dagger, the same one she had cut Gerda with in the beginning. “Do you want my knife?”

Shaking off her fear, Gerda smiled warmly at her unusual friend. “No, thank you. I don’t think it will do me much good in here.”

“Whatever you say.” The robber girl seemed speechless for the first time since Gerda had known her. “I hope you get home, Gerda.”

“I hope you have your adventure.” Gerda stopped and looked at the robber girl in surprise. “You know, after all this time, I do not think I ever asked your name.”

The robber girl grinned and lifted herself onto the reindeer’s back. “Oh, that silly thing? It’s Soraya. And don’t you ever forget it!”

“Soraya. No, I’ll never forget that. I promise.” Gerda laid her hand on her friend’s arm. “Goodbye!”

“Goodbye. I’m sure our paths will cross again. I don’t plan to stay in one place, you know!” Soraya winked at Gerda. “Now get on in there! Find your boy.” She tugged on the reigns and her steed turned and leapt down the stairs to the mountain path. Gerda watched sadly as her friend vanished, but then she turned into the ice palace and pressed forward, knowing that Kai was now within her reach.

 

* * *

 

_Storybrooke, 2014_

“Mom!” Henry burst into the library where Emma and Elsa were consulting Belle on the fate of Arendelle. Killian was there, too, absently twirling some of Emma’s hair around his hook as she pored over a book.

“What is it, Henry? What’s wrong?” Emma asked, looking at her son in alarm. Her eyes lifted to Regina, who came in not far behind him.

“We found something about the Snow Queen!” Henry exclaimed, throwing his story book down on the table. “A new story!”

“Oh my God!” Emma said. “Really? It just appeared?”

“Yeah,” Henry said.

“So what does it say?” Elsa said. “Does it say anything about Arendelle?”

“I don’t think so,” Henry said, shaking his head. “But it definitely has the Snow Queen in it.”

“May I see?” Belle asked. Henry pushed the book toward her and she bent over her, scanning the pages far more quickly than should be possible. “According to this, she’s caused trouble before. Here she has a hall full of frozen children!”

“But why?” Emma demanded. “What would she want with frozen children? That’s just sick!”

“That I don’t know,” Belle said.

Emma turned to Regina. “Have you had any luck finding out about her magic?”

Regina shook her head. “The only thing I know is that I know nothing about it. It’s . . . it’s not even human, it seems.” Elsa grimaced, and Belle placed a hand over hers.

“Actually,” Belle said, “that makes me think of something I read earlier. It didn’t reference the Snow Queen by name, but I think it might help us.” She turned to the shelf and browsed for a moment before picking a book out.

“It’s just a children’s book,” Regina said skeptically. “How is that going to help us?”

“Uh, Mom,” Henry said, giving her a look.

“Right,” she muttered. “What does it say?”

“It talks about where the seasons come from,” Belle said, laying the book out on the table. “It says that each of the seasons has its master, and that it is the master’s job to bring the season to all the worlds. The masters travel from world to world bringing the seasons, and if they ever were to stop, the world would fall into chaos.”

“So maybe the Snow Queen is the master of winter?” Emma suggested. “Does that mean she can travel between worlds? That would explain how she got here . . . how she found me when I was a kid.”

“It doesn’t explain why she would want frozen children, though,” Killian said, looking between Henry’s story book and Belle’s book. His eyes fell on the illustration in the book of two girls and a reindeer standing before the ice palace. “Bloody hell,” he muttered, peering more closely at the pages.

“What is it?” Emma asked, moving to stand beside him.

“I know that girl,” Killian said, pointing to the dark-skinned girl holding the reigns of the antlered creature. “She was a little older when I knew her, but that’s Soraya without a doubt. I’d bet my hook on it.”

“Who’s Soraya?” Henry asked.

Killian looked up at everyone. “She was probably the best pirate in my entire crew. I knew her for years.”

“Well, you’re not the only one who recognizes someone in here,” Elsa said, her face looking a little queasy.

“You know Soraya, too?” Killian asked.

“No,” Elsa said quietly, “but I know her.” She pointed to the blue-eyed girl standing beside Soraya. Pale and wide-eyed, she met everyone’s gaze. “That’s my mother.”


	6. Master of Winter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Setting: Storybrooke, 2014  
> Characters: Emma, Elsa, Regina, Henry, Belle, Killian  
> Summary: New information sparks action

_Storybrooke, 2014_

“That’s your mother?” Emma asked, looking at the picture closely.

“She doesn’t look like a queen to me,” Regina said, crossing her arms. “What was your mother’s name anyway?”

“Queen Idun,” Elsa replied, “but that was just her regnal name. My father always called her Gerda.”

“That’s what the book says,” Henry agreed. “Gerda and Soraya.”

“So my mother did know the Snow Queen,” Elsa said, “and it’s pretty obvious they weren’t sisters. I was right!” She smiled in relief. “I knew I wasn’t related to that monster.”

“I’m not so sure she’s a monster,” Belle said slowly, laying her hand on the _Book of Seasons_ , the book she had pulled out a moment ago.

“No one is interested in your romantic ideas about who is and is not a monster,” Regina said, taking the book away from Belle and inspecting it with distaste on her face. “She kept frozen children. Even I didn’t do anything like that.”

Emma rolled her eyes and put her thumbs in her pockets. “Monster or not, she is here and she’s planning something with that spell. Henry, what does your book say about the frozen children?”

“Not a lot,” Henry said, “except that this boy Kai that Gerda was trying to rescue was under the influence of the Spell of Shattered Sight when the Snow Queen captured him.”

“Kai,” Elsa gasped. “My father.”

“Let me get this straight—your mother traveled across Arendelle and walked right up to the Snow Queen’s castle with a future pirate to rescue your father?” Emma asked.

“She never said anything about it, but I suppose so,” Elsa said.

“A badass queen. I like it,” Emma said with a grin.

“All right, but what does all this have to do with Storybrooke?” Killian asked. “Does the Snow Queen plan to freeze the children?”

“Well if she does, we need to be prepared for that!” Regina exclaimed.

“The mothers’ group,” Emma said. “Someone needs to tell them. They have a meeting this morning.”

“All right,” Regina said, turning to head out the door.

“Wait, Regina,” Emma said.

“We don’t have any time to waste!” Regina argued, whirling back around to face Emma.

“No, you’re right. It’s just, you don’t have the gentlest touch when it comes to approaching hormonal, nurturing new mothers,” Emma said. “I’ll go.”

“You’re hardly less prickly than I am,” Regina said.

Emma groaned. “Thanks. But my mom and my brother are there. You can go to Robin Hood and the Merry Men and have them set up a perimeter around the school in case the Snow Queen strikes there. And then,” she said, stepping up to Regina and saying quietly, “take Henry and keep him safe wherever you think is best. If the Snow Queen is after children I’m sure he’s on the short list. Since the Snow Queen obviously has a past with me I think you can keep him safer than I can.”

Regina’s dark eyes searched Emma’s face and she nodded in understanding.

As Regina left the library, Emma turned to Belle. “Belle, can you go and find Mother Superior? Tell her what you think you know about the Snow Queen and ask her if she’s heard anything about it.”

“Of course,” Belle said, gathering the necessary materials.

“Henry, go to your mom’s house and wait there for her. She’ll be back very soon for you, okay?”

“I want to help!” Henry said.

“Don’t worry, you’ve been a lot of help so far and I’m sure we’ll need your help later. But for now you just need to wait, okay?” Henry nodded reluctantly and took his backpack as he left the library.

“You are certainly starting to sound like a leader there, Swan,” Killian said, wrapping his arm around Emma’s waist.

“I’ve got to go what needs done. That’s the Savior’s job, right?” she asked. She squeezed her eyes shut. “God, I wish I could have just a moment in this town where our lives weren’t being threatened by some magical fiend,” she muttered.

Killian kissed her on the forehead. “That day will come, I’m sure of it.” He brushed some hair behind her ear.

“Can you come with me to the daycare? I have a bad feeling and I may need backup.”

“Of course, love,” Killian said, cupping her cheek. “I’ll meet you outside.”

Emma nodded. She turned around to see Elsa poring over Henry’s story book, her eyes scanning the illustrated image of her young mother. “Are you okay?” Emma asked.

“I just miss them,” Elsa said, “my parents. And then sometimes I hate them.”

“Hate them?” Emma asked.

“They’re the ones who taught me to be afraid of my powers. I know they didn’t mean it—I must have reminded them of the Snow Queen, and they had plenty of reason to be afraid of her—but I’ve thought about it so much, and if they had only let me be myself, so much damage could have been avoided. And when they died, they left me with so many questions!”

Emma sighed and leaned against the table. “Believe it or not, I know exactly how you feel.”

“Really?” Elsa said.

“Every day growing up I missed my parents, and every day I hated them for leaving me. I never knew why they did anything they did, and even when I learned the truth it didn’t take away any of those feelings,” Emma said.

Elsa nodded and stood up straight. A few snowflakes were drifting around Elsa’s head, but it was nothing like the displays she had put on when she first arrived in Storybrooke. “I feel like they knew so much that they never told me. It makes me angry, but I don’t know what to be angry at.”

“I think,” Emma said hesitantly, “once we find the Snow Queen, a lot of things will be made clear. If your parents loved you—and from what you’ve said about them I’m sure they did—they had their reasons for doing what they did. We might not always like those reasons, but it helps to understand.” Emma put a comforting hand on Elsa’s shoulder.

The snowflakes slowly evaporated. “You’re right. Thank you, Emma.”

“From one orphan to another, right?” Emma said wryly.

Elsa smiled halfheartedly and folded the story book closed, hiding her mother’s young face from view.


	7. A Message in a Bottle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Settings: Neverland, 1979. Storybrooke, 2014.  
> Characters: Soraya, Killian Jones, Smee, Emma, Snow Queen, Mary Margaret, Aurora  
> Summary: A message in a bottle is found; the mother's group receives an unwelcome visitor

_Neverland, 1979_

“Brace yourselves, lads!” Killian roared just as the blast of a cannon rang across the deck. “I’m about done with these bloody brats,” he grumbled, placing his hand on the hilt of his cutlass and stalking to the port side of the ship. Just a few yards off, he could see the Lost Ones’ boat floating nearby. Killian couldn’t see the occupants because of the camouflage screening, but he was sure that the rascals were just after his treasure again. He had nothing more to give them, not after Baelfire had escaped.

He moved his hand to his pistol instead and cocked it, readying to aim at the little boat.

“Never fear, Captain! I’ve got it sorted!” called a voice from near the top of the rigging. With a loud battle cry, Soraya swung from the longest rope over the edge of the ship, swirling through the air like something unnatural until she landed like a cat upon the Lost Ones’ vessel. Killian could see her dagger swinging back and forth, but the screen disguised her too.

“Bloody hell!” Soraya hollered as she stood upright on the raft completely unharmed.

“What is it there, lass?” Killian bellowed, leaning over the edge of the ship.

“Ain’t even nobody here!” Soraya shouted back. “Them boys tricked us! Catch!” She threw a long lasso of rope over to the ship, which Killian caught with his hook. He passed the loop off to Smee and his other crew members to reel Soraya in.

“Any loot, at least?” Killian asked, daring to be hopeful.

“Coupl’a shoddy knives and trinkets,” Soraya said as her raft neared the ship. “Oh! This looks good.” She lifted up what looked to be a message in a bottle. She lifted it close to her face to inspect it and reeled back, crinkling her tiny nose. “Smells like mermaid. Disgusting.” She nimbly climbed the rope up onto the side of the ship and stood proud as a peacock among the crew. Her jet-black hair was a tangled mess tied behind a bandana and large golden earrings nicked from a mermaid graced her ears and draped over her shoulder.

“Well, go on and open it!” Smee encouraged. “If it’s a treasure map, we all want to see!”

“Fine then,” Soraya said, smashing the glass against the mast as the men cheered. She unrolled the parchment with glee, but as soon as her eyes skimmed the parchment, her dark eyes widened and her tan skin acquired a shocked pallor.

“Well, what is it?” Smee asked.

“Nothing,” Soraya said, hastily trying to tuck the parchment away in her vest.

“Hey now!” Smee lunged forward and snatched the parchment away, but in the blink of an eye Soraya had her cutlass out and was standing on top of Smee, its tip pointed at his throat. No one had even seen what had happened.

“Give it back,” Soraya growled.

“You dogs know that what Soraya finds, Soraya keeps,” Killian announced. “That’s been the rules for ages now. Give it back, Smee.”

Trembling, Smee handed back the parchment. “It’s nonsense anyway. Not even real letters.” Soraya snatched the parchment away from him and got off of him, leaving him to crawl away to his mates. She stalked off toward the cabin, but an intrigued Killian followed her.

“Now, I’ve been across worlds with you and I have never seen you that startled,” he said, laying the flat side of his hook on Soraya’s shoulder when they were alone in the cabin. “Want to tell your dear captain what you found?”

“It’s a message from an old friend,” Soraya said quietly, her eyes attached to the parchment. “Smee couldn’t read it because it’s runic—it’s the ancient language of my homeland.”

“What does it say?” Killian asked, leaning on the desk.

“Ain’t written to me,” Soraya said. “But I have a feeling that the lasses it’s addressed to really ought to read it.”

“And who are they?”

Soraya looked up at Killian. “I think it’s time to go back to the Enchanted Forest, Captain.”

On the table, the parchment curled so that only the first and last lines were legible to Soraya.

_To my dearest daughters, Elsa and Anna . . . With love always—Your mother, Gerda._

* * *

 

_Storybrooke, 2014_

Emma hurried with Killian toward the daycare, where the Mother’s Group was well underway. Emma debated how she was going to tell them what they’d learned. Her first instinct was to storm in and declare, “Everyone, you’re in danger, the Snow Queen is coming for your children! Be prepared!” But that was exactly what she had suspected Regina would do and exactly what she thought would be counterproductive. Having a bunch of panicked mothers on her hands was not what she needed most.

Instead, she cautioned Killian to slow down and walk casually into the center where the mothers were playing with their toddlers and newborns. Emma watched silently from the doorway. She could see Ashley with two-year old Alexandra, Aurora with Phillip, and her mom with Neal. Emma grimaced at the cutesy songs the mothers were singing with their children, who gabbed along if they could. She had never been so fond of the cutesy things, especially not in such a great quantity.

Mary Margaret spotted Emma and waved with Neal’s little arm in her hand. Neal was grinning toothlessly, clapping his hands along to the music. When the song was over, she left Neal with Aurora and stood to greet Emma. “Emma! What are you doing here?” she asked with a smile.

“Can’t I come watch . . . the excitement?” Emma said unconvincingly. Mary Margaret gave her a knowing look and Emma shrugged. “We learned something about the Snow Queen, but I’ll tell you afterward. It’s okay.”

“No, I want to know!” Mary Margaret said eagerly.

“It’s just that . . . it might have to do with Neal, and the other children, and I don’t want to worry anyone,” Emma muttered.

Mary Margaret’s eyes widened. “Well, too late, I’m worried! Please don’t tell me I have _another_ evil witch after my children!” Her voice rose in pitch slightly, and Emma raised her hands to get her to calm down before the other mothers noticed.

“We don’t know that yet,” Emma said, “we just know that at one point in the past the Snow Queen had a . . . particular interest in children.” She couldn’t bear to tell her mother the exact details of the hall full of frozen children. “I just wanted to come and let you know so that you can be prepared.”

“Prepared for what?” Mary Margaret demanded. “Emma?”

Just then, a cold blast burst through the door, causing Mary Margaret, Emma, and Killian to stumble backward into the nursery. The young mothers screamed and picked up their children. Mary Margaret hurried to cradle a crying Neal in her arms. Killian instinctively drew his pistol while he and Emma placed themselves between the threat and the mothers and children. They watched as ice traveled to the threshold and crawled up the doorframe, creating an icy crust. Standing in the doorway was none other than the Snow Queen, smiling placidly at the room full of terrified mothers.

“Ah, what a charming nursery,” the Snow Queen said. “Emma, how good to see you!”

“We know what you want,” Emma said, staring the cloaked woman down, “but you can’t have them. Killian, get them out of here!”

“Swan,” Killian protested.

“Go!”

The anxious mothers flocked to the back door, their toddlers and babies in their arms. Killian stayed behind them, his eyes not leaving the Snow Queen. But just as they reached the door, the Snow Queen lifted a hand and the back doors was frozen in place, leaving the mothers trapped in the nursery.

“Tell me, Emma, what do I want?” the Snow Queen asked, stepping across the threshold.

Emma held her ground. “The children. Why else would you be here?”

“Is that all?” the Snow Queen asked, stepping still closer.

“Don’t take another step!” Emma threatened, holding up her hands. She was prepared to use her magic if she had to, but she still hated to do it.

“Oh, Emma, you won’t hurt me,” the Snow Queen said with a smile. “I took good care of you, you know.”

“No, I don’t know, because for some magical reason I don’t remember!”

“I shouldn’t think your inability to remember me would affect your detective skills as well,” the Snow Queen taunted. “Really, I thought you’d have more of the puzzle put together by now. Ah, well, it’s more convenient for me this way, anyway.” She looked over Emma’s shoulder at the mothers, who were tensely listening to the conversation. Her eyes fell back on Emma and she gave a small laugh. “You really think I would just come here and take the children? When one of them is your little brother and you’re both the children of the great Snow White—named for one of _my_ winters, by the way?”

“Nice to know my reputation precedes me,” Mary Margaret snapped.

The Snow Queen ignored her. “No, I came because I knew you’d come to protect them, Emma. That what heroes— _saviors_ —do, isn’t it? And I thought it might be the perfect opportunity to chat with you and to warn _them_.”

“Warn us of what?” Aurora demanded. “You won’t take our children!”

“Of course I won’t _take_ your children,” the Snow Queen sneered, stepping to the side to look directly at the mothers. “You see, when I am ready, I won’t need to _take_ them. They’ll come to me willingly. And you won’t be able to do a thing about it.” She looked sideways at Emma. “Do you think that this is the first time I’ve tried to get what I want? I’ve learned, unlike some people I know. This time, I won’t fail. I’ll get _exactly_ what I want.”

With a puff of chilled white mist, the Snow Queen vanished from where she stood. The mother immediately began to embrace each other and their children, while Mary Margaret came up to Emma and Killian, her face lit with steely fury. “What does she mean they’ll come willingly, Emma?” she asked slowly. “What does she want them for?”

Emma shook her head. “I don’t know. But I have a feeling that the sooner we find Elsa’s sister, the sooner this will all make sense. In the meantime, be on your guard.”

“I don’t think I can bear the thought of someone taking my child away again!” Mary Margaret moaned, her composure cracking.

“She _won’t_ ,” Emma said. “We have leads. Elsa’s mother saved children from the Snow Queen once before. If we can learn how she did it, and what the Snow Queen wants with them, we can keep her from succeeding.” Mary Margaret still looked worried. Emma turned to her and placed her hands on Mary Margaret’s shoulders. “Mom, I swear. I won’t let anything happen to Neal, or any of the others.”

“I believe you, Emma,” Mary Margaret sighed. “I just wish the villains would leave us alone for a change.”

“I know what you mean,” Emma said, pursing her lips and looking out the door. “Believe me.”


End file.
